“Wii U could be relegated to first-party only” – Pachter

Nintendo needs to turn Wii U sales and publisher support around by year’s end or it risks becoming a first-party only platform, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has cautioned.

In a note to investors, Pachter stressed that Nintendo’s pre-E3 livestream of new titles could prove pivotal to the Wii U’s fortune. “We believe the Wii U release slate on display will be a key determinant of the console’s long-term staying power,” he said.

“With the more powerful PS4 and Xbox One launching later this year, Nintendo risks losing additional share to its console competitors if the quality and volume of content available for Wii U does not pick up markedly in the near-term.”

He added that unless more third-party publishers get on board, there is a real danger of Wii U becoming a Nintendo-only platform “If the Wii U’s popularity does not improve by the end of the year, many third-party publishers may pass on producing games for the console.

“EA recently announced that it had no Wii U games in development, and it remains a possibility that the publisher will abandon the platform entirely. Should other third parties follow EA’s lead, the Wii U could be relegated to a first party only platform.”

What do you make of Pachter’s prediction? Could Wii U become a first-party platform unless publisher and player support is regained? What do you think of EA’s lack of games on the format? Let us know below.